


One eye sees, the other feels.

by UnlimitedSkye



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Gen, Happy Birthday Shin-ah!, Platonic Relationships, Romantic interactions if you squint but not intended, Shin-ah interacting with everyone, he's trying his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:00:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22085281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnlimitedSkye/pseuds/UnlimitedSkye
Summary: Little bits and pieces of simple kindness that surprise Shin-ah.(The others are patient, and they have a lot more to give.)
Relationships: Jae-Ha & Shin-Ah (Akatsuki no Yona), Kija & Shin-Ah (Akatsuki no Yona), Shin-Ah & Son Hak, Shin-Ah & Yona (Akatsuki no Yona), Shin-Ah & Yoon | Yun (Akatsuki no Yona), Shin-Ah & Zeno (Akatsuki no Yona), Shin-ah & The Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch
Comments: 6
Kudos: 155





	One eye sees, the other feels.

He’s staring down into his empty bowl, when Yun calls out to him.

“Shin-ah, give me your bowl.”

It takes him a fraction of a second more to react- that’s right, he’s Shin-ah now. He hands the bowl back to Yun and gets up from his spot on the ground, ready to start training while the others wake up.

“Hey, where are you going?”

And just like that, the bowl is thrusted back to him.

“Sit down while you eat, or it’ll be difficult to digest. And don’t you go spilling it and wasting food!”

“I can have more?” he asks, hesitantly. Food has always been scarce, especially in the village when there were days where he’d gone to bed hungry. He can’t imagine it being too different here, out in the wild and all alone. 

“Of course.” Yun states matter-of-factly, “I always cook enough for everyone, you beasts need crazy energy to protect us.” Then, he places a hand on his hip, a blush slowly creeping onto his cheeks, “Plus, you were up early and gathering firewood, if the food runs out it’s their fault for not helping and sleeping in.”

Shin-ah shifts his hands around to hold the bowl carefully still, letting the warmth seep into his hands.

“Let me know if you want more, okay?”

He nods, staring intently at his bowl with food filled to the brim. 

“Thank you.” Shin-ah says.

* * *

A little tap on his shoulder brings him out of his thoughts, eyes down and away from the skies.

“Shin-ah,” says a voice, ever so compassionate, “what do you see?”

He feels the beginning of panic boil in his stomach, he hadn’t been keeping track. Had they asked him to scout out the front? He doesn’t remember hearing it- he must have missed it.

“Hey,” Kija says, bringing Shin-ah back to the present, “I was just curious, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Shin-ah tilts his head to the side, and Kija makes a move to elaborate.

“I’ve heard from Oba-san that the Blue Dragons see the world differently, and I guess, it got me thinking.” Kija says, “You always seem so engrossed by the sky, so I thought…” and he trails off, unsure what to say.

“I…” Shin-ah pauses, trying to pick out the right words, “it’s just very different out here, compared to the caves. There’s a lot more to look at.”

“I see.”

And these conversations persist, even though they don't last too long because Shin-ah can never keep it up. He’s grateful, it’s nice having someone to talk to and he's learning so much about "the dragons", but Shin-ah also can’t help but feel like a nuisance. 

“Sorry.” Shin-ah says one day, when Kija and him are side by side and walking closer towards the presence of the Green Dragon. 

“What are you sorry for?” Kija says, worried.

“You always talk to me, but I never really know what to say...” he murmurs.

But Kija’s worried face quickly dissolves into a warm smile. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” he says, “I talk to you because I want to, not because I need to.” 

Something lights up in Shin-ah's mind. 

“Oh.” he says, and after a while, “Thank you for talking to me.” 

“Thank you for always listening.” 

* * *

He lets the moonlight guide him, the swishing of the sword against the wind clears his mind. This is what it's like to dance, to be so free and without a care for the world. 

"You really are something."

His shoulders tense reflexively before he registers the voice.

"Hak." He says, without turning around, but he lowers his sword and slips his mask back on.

"Sorry,” says Hak, and Shin-ah can’t help but be confused as to why, “I’ve been watching for a while.” 

Shin-ah shakes his head furiously.

“It’s okay.” he says, if anything it would be his fault for not paying attention.

“Couldn’t sleep?"

Shin-ah shrugs. The sound of the waves, the smell of seasalt and the clear night sky- it just didn’t feel right to waste it.

Hak trudges closer, weapon in hand and a playful smile. “Well, are you up for a fight? I’ve always wanted to spar with you.”

Shin-ah shivers a little- clenching and unclenching the hilt of his sword. 

“...Why me?” he asks, because he can see Hak having fun with Kija, or even Jae-ha, who seems unbelievably talented so far.

But it's Hak's turn to shrug. “It’s nice to have a challenging fight,” he says, “and I can probably learn a thing or two from you.” 

“From me? But I’m-...” _ a monster, a freak, useless _ “-nothing.” 

“Come on,” Hak says without a hint of frustration, “I’ve seen you fight, you’re really good with a sword- probably even better than me because I’m so used to my guandao.” 

And Shin-ah can only stare, dumbfounded. Those words sound so genuine, but Shin-ah had just barely gotten by fighting bandits and hunting animals. Ao was so much better- and if he was able to use his powers like Kija or Jae-ha, it’d be a different story too. 

“Then,” Shin-ah finally says, swallowing the bile down his throat, “if you’ll have me.” 

Hak grins, a glint of excitement in his eyes. 

“Gladly.” 

* * *

He never calls him by his name- only ever Seiryuu. But it’s fine, really, because Zeno only ever has kindness in his voice when he says “Seiryuu”. (He understands why, later, and finds himself selfish for ever wanting more.) 

“Do you want to get anything?” 

Shin-ah shakes his head. He’ll be fine, and Yun could always use the money for more food or supplies. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Mmhm.” Just being here is enough. 

“Well, Zeno thinks he might want something.” Zeno says thoughtfully, “Wait here Seiryuu! And no peeking!” and rushes off before Shin-ah can even respond. 

He’s watching the villagers perform an impressive festive tradition, when Zeno comes back skipping on this toes.

“Ta-da! This is for you!” And Zeno reveals a small shiny bell in the palm of his hand, one that Shin-ah had stopped to look at a few stalls back. 

“M-me?” 

“Yeah! Zeno saw you looking at it- you wanted it, right?” 

“A-Ah, no… I…”

“Oh. Was Zeno wrong?” 

An uncomfortable feeling settles in Shin-ah whenever he sees that expression painted on Zeno. The bell certainly caught his attention, but he didn’t necessarily want it. 

Shin-ah shakes his head, “I… Thank you, Zeno… really. It reminded me of Ao.” 

When Zeno makes a confused noise, he adds-

“The previous Seiryuu.” 

He watches a myriad of emotions dawn on Zeno, always so colourful and expressive and unafraid, settling with a look that seemed to hold so much more wisdom than a seventeen year old.

“You must’ve been really close to him.” Zeno says, soft and gentle and warm.

“He taught me everything.” Shin-ah says quietly, “He took care of me… and when he started to lose sight, the sound of my bells told him where I was.” 

"Zeno… Zeno is glad he was there for you."

Although Zeno smiles like the sun, his eyes are touched with a strange tinge of guilt. 

The uncomfortable feeling squeezes tighter, and Shin-ah finds himself embracing Zeno before even realising it. 

"Thank you for the gift, Zeno."

And Zeno doesn't shy away from touch- he hugs back, so tightly and so full of force that it grounds Shin-ah to the present. Ao isn’t here anymore, but he has friends that will look at him without the sound of bells now.

* * *

“What were they like?” 

It’s a week after their fateful encounter with the Seiryuu spirit, when Shin-ah finds Jae-ha by the river during daybreak.

“I’ve been thinking about it, you know.” Jae-ha admits, “If the Blue Dragons had a reputation like that, what were the villagers like for you?” 

For Shin-ah, his time at the village feels like a distant memory ever since meeting Yona. He'd spent all his life there, yet he can barely even remember the faces of the villagers. 

“Did...did they ever lock you up?” 

The cave wasn't a prison, far from it. It wasn’t like the Seiryuu spirit, because the villagers all hid with him when their location was compromised by the soldiers.  _ Maybe if he had left earlier, they wouldn’t have been in danger in the first place. _

“No,” Shin-ah says, “it wasn’t like that.”

“Then what were they like?” Jae-ha tries again.

They lived in a constant state of fear- afraid that one day their child would be possessed by the Blue Dragon, afraid that Shin-ah would devour them and turn them into stone.

“They were scared.” 

Jae-ha makes a noise of acknowledgement, staring thoughtfully has his pristine white boots.

“Were you?” He asks after a moment of silence, finally meeting Shin-ah’s eyes- or at least, where he thinks they are behind the mask.

Shin-ah was scared of a lot of things, despite how small and empty it was back in the caves. He’s no longer scared of the soldiers and bandits that seek the village for Seiryuu, but he’s scared of not being able to protect his new friends.  _ Worse, he was the one doing the hurting, just one week ago- to Jae-ha, to everyone. _

He shakes his head slowly, unsure what to say. 

And something in Jae-ha’s face falters- a small, miniscule twitch, something so obvious for Shin-ah. 

But Jae-ha doesn't ask anything else afterwards, and instead reaches his hand out towards Shin-ah and touches the top of his head lightly, ruffling his hair in a manner similar to what Shin-ah does to Ao. 

His initial worry of Jae-ha snatching the mask dissipates, and Shin-ah soon finds himself leaning into the touch, sharing a quiet and meaningful moment in the bliss of the early morning.

“I’m sorry.”

“What for? You’ve done nothing wrong.” 

Maybe he’s still not the best at understanding and reciprocating, but he’s willing to keep trying when his friends are so kind and forgiving. 

* * *

“Shin-ah.”

It’s always her, the way his name resounds and touches his heart whenever she says it. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“I’m okay.” 

He’s gotten better at dealing with his paralysis, just like how she’s gotten a lot better with her bow and sword. It was their promise, to get better together. 

“Thank you for coming, you really saved us.” 

For you, always. 

“Hey, let me help you carry some of that, you’re still recovering.” 

Shin-ah shakes his head.

“It’s fine, I can carry it myself.” 

Yona pouts, Ao letting out a loud squeak and jumping off his shoulder to land on hers.

“I know you can,” Yona says, “but you don’t have to.” 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my third or fourth time writing something for Akatsuki no Yona, but I never got around to publishing those stories because it felt like I couldn’t do it justice. I’m not entirely happy with this either, but I really wanted to do something for Shin-ah’s birthday.  
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
